China vs Iran
China vs Iran: Urban population
Urban population in 2025: 66.3% in China and 77.4% in Iran, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Iran, by 11 percentage points, or 1.17 times that in China.
% of people · UN
What the numbers say
- Iran has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
- In 2025, China ranked 108 and Iran ranked 75 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
- The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts China at 89.7% and Iran at 86.9% in 2050.
Every year
% of people · UN
| Year | China | Iran |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 66.3 | 77.4 |
| 2024 | 65.9 | 77 |
| 2023 | 65.5 | 76.7 |
| 2022 | 65.2 | 76.3 |
| 2021 | 64.7 | 76 |
| 2020 | 63.5 | 75.6 |
| 2019 | 62.7 | 75.2 |
| 2018 | 61.5 | 74.8 |
| 2017 | 60.2 | 74.4 |
| 2016 | 58.8 | 73.9 |
| 2015 | 57.3 | 73.4 |
| 2014 | 55.8 | 72.8 |
| 2013 | 54.5 | 72.3 |
| 2012 | 53.1 | 71.8 |
| 2011 | 51.8 | 71.2 |
| 2010 | 49.2 | 70.6 |
| 2009 | 48.3 | 70 |
| 2008 | 47 | 69.4 |
| 2007 | 45.9 | 68.8 |
| 2006 | 44.3 | 68.3 |
| 2005 | 43 | 67.9 |
| 2004 | 41.8 | 67.3 |
| 2003 | 40.5 | 66.6 |
| 2002 | 39.1 | 65.9 |
| 2001 | 37.7 | 65.2 |
| 2000 | 36.4 | 64.5 |
| 1999 | 34.8 | 63.7 |
| 1998 | 33.4 | 62.9 |
| 1997 | 31.9 | 62.1 |
| 1996 | 30.5 | 61.1 |
| 1995 | 29 | 60.4 |
| 1994 | 28.5 | 59.6 |
| 1993 | 28 | 58.7 |
| 1992 | 27.5 | 57.9 |
| 1991 | 26.9 | 56.9 |
| 1990 | 26.2 | 56.5 |
| 1989 | 26.2 | 55.9 |
| 1988 | 25.8 | 55.4 |
| 1987 | 25.3 | 54.8 |
| 1986 | 24.5 | 54.2 |
| 1985 | 23.7 | 53.6 |
| 1984 | 23 | 52.8 |
| 1983 | 21.6 | 52.1 |
| 1982 | 20.6 | 51.4 |
| 1981 | 20.2 | 50.7 |
| 1980 | 19.4 | 49.9 |
| 1979 | 19 | 49.2 |
| 1978 | 17.9 | 48.5 |
| 1977 | 17.6 | 47.8 |
| 1976 | 17.4 | 46.8 |
| 1975 | 17.3 | 46.1 |
| 1974 | 17.2 | 45.2 |
| 1973 | 17.2 | 44.3 |
| 1972 | 17.1 | 43.3 |
| 1971 | 17.3 | 42.4 |
| 1970 | 17.4 | 41.5 |
| 1969 | 17.5 | 40.6 |
| 1968 | 17.6 | 39.7 |
| 1967 | 17.7 | 38.9 |
| 1966 | 17.9 | 37.7 |
| 1965 | 18 | 37.1 |
| 1964 | 18.3 | 36.6 |
| 1963 | 16.8 | 36 |
| 1962 | 17.3 | 35.3 |
| 1961 | 19.3 | 34.6 |
| 1960 | 19.8 | 34 |
| 1959 | 18.4 | 33.3 |
| 1958 | 16.3 | 32.6 |
| 1957 | 15.4 | 31.9 |
| 1956 | 14.6 | 31.2 |
| 1955 | 13.5 | 30.5 |
| 1954 | 13.7 | 29.9 |
| 1953 | 13 | 29.3 |
| 1952 | 12.5 | 28.7 |
| 1951 | 11.8 | 28.1 |
| 1950 | 11.2 | 27.5 |
UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050
| Year | China | Iran |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 66.8 | 77.7 |
| 2027 | 67.3 | 78.1 |
| 2028 | 67.9 | 78.5 |
| 2029 | 68.5 | 78.8 |
| 2030 | 69.1 | 79.2 |
| 2031 | 69.7 | 79.5 |
| 2032 | 70.4 | 79.9 |
| 2033 | 71.1 | 80.3 |
| 2034 | 71.9 | 80.6 |
| 2035 | 72.7 | 81 |
| 2036 | 73.6 | 81.4 |
| 2037 | 74.4 | 81.8 |
| 2038 | 75.4 | 82.1 |
| 2039 | 76.3 | 82.5 |
| 2040 | 77.3 | 82.9 |
| 2041 | 78.4 | 83.3 |
| 2042 | 79.5 | 83.7 |
| 2043 | 80.6 | 84.1 |
| 2044 | 81.8 | 84.5 |
| 2045 | 83 | 84.8 |
| 2046 | 84.2 | 85.2 |
| 2047 | 85.5 | 85.6 |
| 2048 | 86.9 | 86.1 |
| 2049 | 88.3 | 86.5 |
| 2050 | 89.7 | 86.9 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
- Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
- The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
China vs Iran
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023Iran: 77.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Iran: 1.1 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Iran: 9.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017Iran: 5.12% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Iran: 5.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023Iran: 90.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023Iran: 1.12% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023Iran: 1.7 births per woman in 2023
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023Iran: 32.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023Iran: 7.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateChina: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Iran: 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingChina: 1.73% of GDP in 2025Iran: 2.09% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025Iran: $7.45B in 2025
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025Iran: $80 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025Iran: 11.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelChina: 2.54 million people in 2020Iran: 650,000 people in 2020
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022Iran: 1.64% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020Iran: 2.35% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsChina: 207 million TIV in 2025Iran: 42 million TIV in 2024
- Arms exportsChina: 880 million TIV in 2025Iran: 80 million TIV in 2025